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Fila Skele-Toes

Fila Skele-toes are a four-toed toe shoe line produced by Fila that first hit the footwear market in early 2011.

The key differentiating elements of the Skele-toes line are:

They are toe shoes (Read about the merits of the toe shoe design here) — rather than a traditional shoe's open toe box, the Skele-toes have articulated toe pockets. Importantly, the Skele-toes only have four toe pockets rather than five due to the fact that they combine the smallest two toes into a single toe "box" they call the EZ-Slide. The EZ-Slide is intended to make putting on the Skele-toes easier.

Most of the Skele-toes models are minimalist/"barefoot shoes" — they do have a few varieties (like the Amp or Voltage, which is similar to the Amp, reviewed here) that are not minimalist or barefoot, having elevated heels with significant cushioning; yet still maintaining toe articulation.

As compared to the premium toe shoe models (all of them), Skele-toes have stiffer soles which result in lower ground feel and a less flexible sole.

Generally speaking, as people get into wearing toe shoes, they tend to pick up more pairs over time, preferring the fit and feel of the toe shoe design over more traditional shoes. With that in mind, if there's a general purchase order, while many if not most toe shoe fans cut their teeth on Vibram FiveFingers, which have been around since 2006, Skele-toes fans often end up ultimately picking up FiveFingers (and not the other way around; FiveFingers buyers generally do not go on to buy Skele-toes).

We have reviewed (and continue to review) a number of the Skele-toes shoes here on BirthdayShoes in the interest of educating minimalist footwear/barefoot shoes/toe shoes consumers about the line!

fake fingers!

Tags: skeletoes

A couple weeks back Louisiana school Vermilion Parish set before it's school board an important question concerning kids' footwear — should toe shoes (Fila Skele-toes apparently being the primary culprit) be allowed in schools?
A local Vermilio… more »

A fan's first pair of toe shoes on the left-the original Fila Skele-toes; subsequent toe shoes purchases were the FiveFingers KSO and TrekSport.

David emailed me recently about adding to his now growing collection of FiveFingers. We got into talking a bit and I found out that he actually got his start into the minimalist shoes/toe shoes market via buying a pair of the original Fila Skeletoes.… more »

Somewhere in America, the following conversation is taking place ...
Guy 1: Have you heard of the "Fila Skele-toes?" They're those crazy new toe shoes!
Guy 2: Oh yeah I saw those billboards driving to work the other day off I-70. Those things… more »

What if the grid-foam-soled shoe, as pioneered by Nike via the "Nike Free x.0," somehow copulated with a pair of toe shoes? What would you get?
The Skele-Toes Voltage; a four-toed Frankenstein toe-shoe-slash-sneaker-slash-Nike-Free-wannabee.
But… more »

While most BirthdayShoes readers are likely already toe shoe aficionados who own at least one pair of Vibram FiveFingers, and often a whole closet full, at least a few readers stumble on our neck of the web looking for information about Fila Skele-toes.… more »

It looks like minimalist footwear and toe shoes are starting to become rather mainstream. The fact that major footwear brads are starting to develop minimalist and toe shoes of their own design is proof that the mainstream public is starting to accept… more »

A few weeks back we took a sneak peak at a new brand of toe shoes—as in, not Vibram Five Fingers—they're the Fila "Skele-toes." Comet Shoes hooked me up with a pair to examine, review, and share with BirthdayShoes readers, so that's what I'l… more »

AvailabilityHere is a sneak peak at a new barefoot shoe offering from Fila with an expected release date of Februaury 1st, 2011. Our friends over at Comet Shoes are taking orders now! Five Fingers Look Alike?Though they look conspicuously similar… more »

birthdayshoes [about] is dedicated to feet, which is to say barefeet, or feet as they were designed to be—unshod and free! As a way to foster foot freedom, birthday shoes is spreading the word about toe shoes — Vibram Five Fingers — the ground-breaking "barefoot shoes" or "foot gloves" that allow wearers to roam the earth as [Your Belief System] intended. Free your feet!

Note: This site is not owned, operated, or otherwise affiliated with Vibram or Vibram FiveFingers. The site is intended for entertainment purposes only. Per FTC regulation, it should be assumed that products reviewed on BirthdayShoes were provided to the blogger(s) for free or at discounted cost. Though this is certainly not always the case, we'd rather be in compliance with FTC rules & regulations governing bloggers and product reviews under the assumed "most biased" letter of the law. That said, if it's not immediately obvious, this site is a fan site for minimalist footwear such as Vibram Five Fingers, which is to say that there is a stated bias in favor of these products. Despite our stated bias, between the hundreds of user-submitted stories, the thousands of forum posts (both positive and negative, warts and all!), and the in-depth resources and guides, we do our best to provide in depth information on all products reviewed. In the end, though we strive to be a helpful resource and believe in integrity and honesty, we expect you to do your part — reading the research and making educated decisions (Read: take responsibility for your actions!). We have also passed on reviewing products (not VFFs per se) that were provided to us for free but did not "cut the mustard." If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us!